LE BOURGET—Portugal has exercised an option for a sixth Embraer KC-390 and taken options for 10 more of the aircraft for its own use or to potentially facilitate purchases by other NATO members.
The reason to take the options for more aircraft was in part to secure delivery slots at Embraer before 2035 amid strong demand for the KC-390, Portuguese Air Force chief Gen. João Cartaxo Alves said June 16 on the first day of the Paris Air Show.
Portugal may make some of the delivery slots available to others through government-to-government contracts, not unlike an arrangement the Netherlands has had on the aircraft that facilitates Austria’s and Sweden’s purchase of the platform. The government-to-government arrangement could make it easier for new buyers to go on contract. Portugal, in return, could get royalties.
Embraer Defense & Security boss, Bosco da Costa Junior, said Slovakia, which has said it plans to buy the KC-390, may use the mechanism. “There are more,” he added.
Portugal, which has operated the KC-390 since 2023 as the second air force after Brazil, expects the receive the sixth aircraft in 2029. The country also still operates some C-130s and may exercise some of the 10 new options to replace those.
Gen. Cartaxo also said Portugal is in talks with Embraer about special mission needs. A first step would likely be a maritime patrol aircraft, he said in a brief interview, adding that Portugal is also exploring expanding that to intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. Such a move could necessitate Portugal exercising some of the options it has placed, he noted.
“It is an excellent platform for us to develop an ISR version,” he said.
Portuguese Defense Minister Nuno Melo said at the air show that the country is so actively involved because of the large industrial ties it has with the aircraft. Portugal benefits from KC-390 sales, he said. “This is about much more than an airplane.”
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